Strategies to Engage Physicians in Reforming Healthcare Administrative Policies and Processes

A lack of physician engagement in healthcare reform initiatives is a persistent problem that can negatively affect hospital performance and patient care outcomes. Hospital leaders and healthcare administrators are concerned with low levels of physician engagement because of its association with reduced organizational effectiveness and quality of care. Grounded in the distributed leadership framework, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore strategies hospital leaders used to engage physicians in reforming administrative policies and processes to improve patient service delivery. Semistructured interviews were conducted with five hospital leaders from one hospital in the southeastern United States who had at least 3 years of leadership experience and demonstrated success implementing physician engagement strategies. Publicly available documents, including annual reports and policy materials, were also analyzed. Thematic analysis revealed five themes: workflow and organizational culture, collaboration and physician buy-in, communication and storytelling, early engagement, and reducing inefficiencies and clarifying roles. One recommendation was to implement a format for engagement with employees to ensure ongoing dialogues for improvement in workplace performance. The implications for positive social change include the potential for health care leaders to foster more effective and empathetic leadership, thereby improving both the work environment for health care professionals and the quality of care provided to patients.